"Damn" Word Etymology and Current Meaning
“Damn” Etymology and Current Meaning
From the Oxford English Dictionary:
Damn (Daem), v. [a. OF. dampue-r, damnue-r, ad. L. damnare, dampuare, orig. to inflict damage or loss upon, to condemn, doom to punishment…]
1. To pronounce adverse judgment on, affirm to be guilty, to give judicial sentence against; = CONDEMN
I damp be not quar so bou far, But go nu forth and sin na mar.
Cursor M. 1300
It is no maystereye for a lord To dampen a man with oute answere.
Chaucer L.G.W 1385
2. To condemn to a particular penalty or fate; to doom; = CONDEMN
Pylate, do after us, And dam to death Jesus.
Torvncley Myst 1460
3. To adjudge and pronounce (a thing, practice, etc.) to be bad; to adjudge or declare forfeited, unfit for use, or illegal; to denounce or annul authoritatively; to CONDEMN.
For haddle God comaundid maydenhede, Then had he dampynd weddyng with the dede.
Chaucer 1386
Synonyms: curse, beshrew, bedamn, anathemize, anathemise, imprecate, maledict
Antonyms: bless, approve, sanctify
In modern times, one does not often notice the word “damn” in daily conversations, not because of any recent restraints in its use but on the contrary because of its overuse. According to the Dictionary of Contemporary English, “damn” is among the top two-thousand most commonly used words in the English language. Though the word once held very powerful and negative connotations, “damn” today has lost much of its original meaning and the general public has become desensitized to its use.
The first citation of the word damn from the Oxford English Dictionary as “goddem” was a pledge among French soldiers in the Hundred Years War. However, more frequent use of the word began in the fourteenth century to mean, “to pronounce adverse judgment on… to condemn to a particular penalty or fate… [and] to adjudge and pronounce (a thing, practice, etc.) to be bad.” As is apparent from the given dictionary definitions, the word “damn” held a negative, chastising connotation even from its first uses.
As time and literature progressed, so did the use of “damn” and its meaning. In Shakespearean plays and classic novels of the seventeenth century, the word “damn” came to have a much more religious connotation which in turn strengthened its chastising tone. In 1605, in his famous play Macbeth, Shakespeare writes, “The divell damne thee blacke, thou cream-fac’d Loone” (v.iii) and connects the word “damn” with the “divell” or Devil, joining the word to the idea of eternal damnation. Shortly later, in 1638, Chillingw writes in Relig. Prot., “You damne all to the fire, and to Hell, that any way differ from you” (1.ii) and further reinforces the bond between “damn” and religious chastising. As the passages suggest, at a time when science was not widely accepted and many people were God-fearing, the word “damn” held strong meaning and was not used lightly.
Usage of the word “damn” changed drastically over the centuries and by the twentieth century its meaning and connotation were considerably different. “Damn” lost much of its original biblical meaning by 1865 when De Frost wrote in Miss Ravenel’s Convesrion, “He is, by Jove! A dam incur-dam-able dam coward.” De Frost shows the disconnect of the word from the biblical power it once held by using it with the exclamation “by Jove!” a reference to the pagan Roman god of the sky. Also, De Frost has his character use the word several times in a fit of anger which shows the removal of much of the sacred and powerful meaning the word once had. Other popular examples of the impious use of “damn” include the 1939 film Gone With the Wind where “damn” is used with no religious connotation when a character exclaims, “Frankly, my dear, I don’t give a damn.” Though the word intensifies the scene in both cases, as it adds a taboo feel to the tone, it does not achieve as much as it would have if a minister in a Shakespearean play had done the same.
In today’s society, “damn” has come to take on several diverse meanings- from being a sexual reference to an indicator of strong annoyance -all of which hold very little serious religious connotation. Recently, a skit titled “Can I Have Yo’ Numba’” was produced by MadTV in which a stereotypical young man tries to attract a young ladies attention in a movie theatre. Upon seeing the young lady, whom he finds very attractive, the young man shouts “Damn!” (pronounced: Day-Uhm) in a more than audible manner. The use of “damn” in this sense is taboo but with no religious significance to it, and is used as derogatory slang to express awe (in this case at the female’s beauty). Similarly, when asked what “damn” meant to him and what he associated it with, Malden High School Senior, Hintsa Hagos replied “It’s just damn! It’s when something surprises you.” More popularly, “damn” is used in times of anger and annoyance. Another Malden High School Senior, Jason Tam replied that he uses the word when “something doesn’t go [his] way.” The example Jason provided was about a poor performance on a school assessment, saying, “Damn it! I got a 50 on that test!” Here “damn” holds slight religious references as “it” is being damned, but due to the ambiguous nature of the usage, it does not achieve more than to create a taboo feel to the statement. Though “damn” no longer holds much biblical associations anymore, its religious roots are well known. Upon being asked the same question as the two high school students, Malden High School physics teacher Brian Morrison responded, “I think of hell, fire, brimstone, that stuff.”
Once a word used rarely and in a very calculated manner, “damn” has become a part of the general public’s daily vocabulary, often being said on reflex and not thought about. The overuse of the word “damn” over the past seven hundred years has taken away from the word most of the religious fear and power it once provided to its user and now the word does not have strong religious undertones.
From the Oxford English Dictionary:
Damn (Daem), v. [a. OF. dampue-r, damnue-r, ad. L. damnare, dampuare, orig. to inflict damage or loss upon, to condemn, doom to punishment…]
1. To pronounce adverse judgment on, affirm to be guilty, to give judicial sentence against; = CONDEMN
I damp be not quar so bou far, But go nu forth and sin na mar.
Cursor M. 1300
It is no maystereye for a lord To dampen a man with oute answere.
Chaucer L.G.W 1385
2. To condemn to a particular penalty or fate; to doom; = CONDEMN
Pylate, do after us, And dam to death Jesus.
Torvncley Myst 1460
3. To adjudge and pronounce (a thing, practice, etc.) to be bad; to adjudge or declare forfeited, unfit for use, or illegal; to denounce or annul authoritatively; to CONDEMN.
For haddle God comaundid maydenhede, Then had he dampynd weddyng with the dede.
Chaucer 1386
Synonyms: curse, beshrew, bedamn, anathemize, anathemise, imprecate, maledict
Antonyms: bless, approve, sanctify
In modern times, one does not often notice the word “damn” in daily conversations, not because of any recent restraints in its use but on the contrary because of its overuse. According to the Dictionary of Contemporary English, “damn” is among the top two-thousand most commonly used words in the English language. Though the word once held very powerful and negative connotations, “damn” today has lost much of its original meaning and the general public has become desensitized to its use.
The first citation of the word damn from the Oxford English Dictionary as “goddem” was a pledge among French soldiers in the Hundred Years War. However, more frequent use of the word began in the fourteenth century to mean, “to pronounce adverse judgment on… to condemn to a particular penalty or fate… [and] to adjudge and pronounce (a thing, practice, etc.) to be bad.” As is apparent from the given dictionary definitions, the word “damn” held a negative, chastising connotation even from its first uses.
As time and literature progressed, so did the use of “damn” and its meaning. In Shakespearean plays and classic novels of the seventeenth century, the word “damn” came to have a much more religious connotation which in turn strengthened its chastising tone. In 1605, in his famous play Macbeth, Shakespeare writes, “The divell damne thee blacke, thou cream-fac’d Loone” (v.iii) and connects the word “damn” with the “divell” or Devil, joining the word to the idea of eternal damnation. Shortly later, in 1638, Chillingw writes in Relig. Prot., “You damne all to the fire, and to Hell, that any way differ from you” (1.ii) and further reinforces the bond between “damn” and religious chastising. As the passages suggest, at a time when science was not widely accepted and many people were God-fearing, the word “damn” held strong meaning and was not used lightly.
Usage of the word “damn” changed drastically over the centuries and by the twentieth century its meaning and connotation were considerably different. “Damn” lost much of its original biblical meaning by 1865 when De Frost wrote in Miss Ravenel’s Convesrion, “He is, by Jove! A dam incur-dam-able dam coward.” De Frost shows the disconnect of the word from the biblical power it once held by using it with the exclamation “by Jove!” a reference to the pagan Roman god of the sky. Also, De Frost has his character use the word several times in a fit of anger which shows the removal of much of the sacred and powerful meaning the word once had. Other popular examples of the impious use of “damn” include the 1939 film Gone With the Wind where “damn” is used with no religious connotation when a character exclaims, “Frankly, my dear, I don’t give a damn.” Though the word intensifies the scene in both cases, as it adds a taboo feel to the tone, it does not achieve as much as it would have if a minister in a Shakespearean play had done the same.
In today’s society, “damn” has come to take on several diverse meanings- from being a sexual reference to an indicator of strong annoyance -all of which hold very little serious religious connotation. Recently, a skit titled “Can I Have Yo’ Numba’” was produced by MadTV in which a stereotypical young man tries to attract a young ladies attention in a movie theatre. Upon seeing the young lady, whom he finds very attractive, the young man shouts “Damn!” (pronounced: Day-Uhm) in a more than audible manner. The use of “damn” in this sense is taboo but with no religious significance to it, and is used as derogatory slang to express awe (in this case at the female’s beauty). Similarly, when asked what “damn” meant to him and what he associated it with, Malden High School Senior, Hintsa Hagos replied “It’s just damn! It’s when something surprises you.” More popularly, “damn” is used in times of anger and annoyance. Another Malden High School Senior, Jason Tam replied that he uses the word when “something doesn’t go [his] way.” The example Jason provided was about a poor performance on a school assessment, saying, “Damn it! I got a 50 on that test!” Here “damn” holds slight religious references as “it” is being damned, but due to the ambiguous nature of the usage, it does not achieve more than to create a taboo feel to the statement. Though “damn” no longer holds much biblical associations anymore, its religious roots are well known. Upon being asked the same question as the two high school students, Malden High School physics teacher Brian Morrison responded, “I think of hell, fire, brimstone, that stuff.”
Once a word used rarely and in a very calculated manner, “damn” has become a part of the general public’s daily vocabulary, often being said on reflex and not thought about. The overuse of the word “damn” over the past seven hundred years has taken away from the word most of the religious fear and power it once provided to its user and now the word does not have strong religious undertones.
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